For Your Protection
by Relovan
Summary: Tamsin is in danger after witnessing something suspicious around the McCorrigan Corporation. Bo and Lauren are are assigned to watch over her and protect her from all harm.


For Your Protection

"Dennis." A voice says over the speaker of my phone. "You've been reassigned to be a bodyguard for Ms. Tamsin Thornwood."

"Ms. Thornwood?" I ask, surprised. "Dyson's sister?"

"Yes, Detective Thornwood's sister. As he is not equipped to handle guarding nor does he have the emotional freedom to think clearly. Report to my office in thirty minutes. There we will discuss details." My supervisor hangs up.

Thirty minutes later I walk into my supervisor's office. I briefly recognise the other officer in the room but pay no mind.

"Chief Malikov." I nod to him.

"Officer Dennis," he says. "Shall we begin the meeting?" He gestures to the two chairs stationed in front of his desk. I take a seat, the blonde officer follows my lead. "I'll cut to the chase. Detective Thornwood's sister has become the target of a very powerful company who is very motivated to eliminate the threat she poses. We need two of our best officers to maintain twenty-four hour protection. That's where you two come in. Officer Lewis, you and Officer Dennis will rotate watches overnight. One stationed outside her bedroom and the other inside watching other entrances and doors. Of course you won't be the only guard she has, but you two are in charge and her life is in your hands entirely." He straightens and looks us in the eye intensely. "If this mission is to fail, you will both be forced to leave the force. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," I say immediately.

"Yes, chief," the blonde says after me.

"Good. Your crew is waiting outside. I'll give you a moment to become familiar with each other before you leave." Chief Malikov removes himself from the office, leaving Officer Lewis and me alone.

"Lauren Lewis," she says, offering me her hand.

"Bo Dennis," I reply, accepting her hand. "Talking tactical strategies, what do you prefer. Outside or inside?" I ask, wanting to get an idea of who I'm working with.

"I was thinking we swap unless you want to keep the same watches, which would make sense as we'd get used to one over the other and wouldn't be thrown into something we aren't used to. Quite honestly, I feel that we stick our troop outside as they can cover all entrances and we stay inside as backup and the most important part." Her knowledge is more than I expect and I raise an eyebrow, impressed by the geek speak.

"I like your thinking, but I feel like one should be inside and the other should be outside. Let's talk to our troop and figure out a plan once we know exactly what we're dealing with." I turn to leave out the door to find who I'm in charge of.

Outside I find a group of fifteen men. Fifteen, not a lot but a lot for one person. Officer Lewis joins me, scoffing. "For such a high priority, they sure aren't making this job easy."

I voice my agreement. "I think we should go with your plan and have us both inside. There's no way we could manage it any other way." I grimace, not from giving up my idea, but from the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Hopefully we aren't met with brute force, we would crumble. Well maybe I wouldn't, but I can't say you wouldn't." Officer Lewis offers me a slight smile. I just shake my head, amused but not showing it. I can tell she knows I'm amused.

"Set!" I yell and the troop stops immediately, moving into a straight line. "Alright. My name is Officer Dennis. This is Officer Lewis. You report to us. Not your mom and not your nanny. I'll give you a warning if you go to your granny." A few chuckle. I watch as Officer Lewis cracks a slight smirk. "I won't actually, so don't try it. You will be effective immediately removed. This won't be easy and don't expect it to be. There are only fifteen of you and seventeen counting Officer Lewis and me. I don't want slacking off or I will personally remove you from the troop. I will not tolerate any inappropriate behaviour. That means I want no relationships between you. It may seem obvious but it happens. When you get involved with each other, you will not hesitate to save the other from harm. But when that happens, what happens to Ms. Thornwood? She's exposed and this entire mission and all of your jobs and lives will be over purely because you decided to fraternise. We will be spending close quarters together which is why I cannot stress this enough. I have seen plenty marks ruined because someone decided to screw someone else, figuratively and literally. Don't fuck this up. That's an order. Officer Lewis, if you would explain the tactics." I glance at her before stepping aside and moving to retreat back to my office to retrieve a few things.

As I move back to my door, I notice Dyson watching me with a grim look. He's leaning on the doorframe, arm out, blocking my exit.

"Bo. I want you safe. This is too dangerous. I don't have anything I can do, but I couldn't handle it if you didn't come back. And you without a job is even worse." His blue eyes are sharp on mine and I can sense the feelings and care inside of them.

"I know, Dyson. I'd rather go out in a hailstorm of bullets than lose my job. I will protect your sister with my life and will not hesitate to put myself before her. I'm sure Officer Lewis will as well."

"Dennis, troop is briefed, we need to start moving soon." Officer Lewis' voice comes over the radio.

"I'll let you go, just come back safe." Dyson pulls me into a hug, awkward with my vest of utilities in the way. He pulls away to kiss the top of my head. "I trust you to protect my sister and to put her life before your own, but I'd like to have both of you safe."

"I can't guarantee my safety, but your sister will be safe. I give you my oath." I pull away from Dyson and head back to where Officer Lewis is waiting for me by the standard issue chargers.

"You okay?" She asks me, a tint of concern on her face.

"Yeah. Just a little spooked. Do we ride together or separate?" I ask, pulling out the keys I grabbed from my office.

"Together seems like a better idea," she offers.

"Alright." I unlock the car and climb into the drivers seat. She gets in on the other side.

"You have the address?" She asks me as I start to drive away from the station.

"Detective Dyson and Tamsin Thornwood are close friends of mine. I know where they live," I say and I turn onto a street and speed of in the direction of the freeway. "The house Ms. Thornwood will be at is about an hour away. It's their vacation home. We will be picking up Ms. Thornwood from her current home and taking her to the vacation home." I speed onto the freeway.

Officer Lewis says nothing until I pull up to the sidewalk of the Thornwood residency. "How well do you know Ms. Thornwood?" She asks.

"Well enough," I say, evasively, not wanting to admit the former lover status. "I'll be back out with her, if I need you, I'll radio," I say, climbing out of the car. She gives me a nod and I walk up the driveway to the front door, disappearing from Officer Lewis' vision. It sets me on edge, but I'm not going to back and move the car again.

The door opens immediately after my knock to reveal a surprised Tamsin. "Bo? What are you doing here?" She glares angrily.

"I'm one of the officers who is watching over you until the situation mellows out," I say, plainly.

"Oh." The anger melts from her face, replaced with a playful flirty look. "Your job is to watch, huh?" She winks. I feel myself involuntarily flush, remembering the things we used to do. I steel myself and save myself from doing something stupid.

"I am here to ensure your safety." I shift my weight.

"No fun." Her sparkling eyes search mine before she presses me into the wall of her house and kisses me. I kiss back before I can think much of it. When I gather my wits, I push her away.

"I can't, Tamsin. My job is to protect you and bring you back to Dyson unharmed. Yes, we used to have something and I did like you a lot, but I can't let feelings get in the way. If I can't keep a cool head when shit gets real, then I can't do my job. I need to be able to sacrifice my life for yours and that's easier if I loved you, yes, but there's also a recklessness involved there, and I just can't let myself love you right now. I'm sorry, Tamsin." I watch her take in everything I just said. She looks angry but she understands what I'm trying to say.

"Alright. Promise me one thing, if we both make it out alive, you give me a shot." She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Tamsin-" I start to say.

"Just... Promise me." She looks fragile and it kick starts my protectiveness.

"Okay, fine. I promise." I let out a sigh. What have I just agreed to...?

"Seal it with a kiss?" I give her an offended look.

"Did you not just hear what I said, Tamsin." I frown at her.

"I did. It's just to seal the deal. Come on, kiss me." She grins like a schoolgirl getting an A from her hot teacher. I sigh again and pull her to me, lips touching. I move to step back and pull away from the kiss, but she grabs on and goes with me, deepening the kiss. A flash of remembered desire runs through me and I finally give in to the kiss, kissing back and running my tongue along her bottom lip. She groans into my mouth as I back up against the wall. When her hands start to travel my body, I push her away, breathing hard.

"Shit," I say. "That can never happen again, Tamsin. As long as we're stuck protecting you, I can't do that. Had someone come up right then, we'd both be dead. We can't leave ourselves so vulnerable."

Tamsin looks a little scared. "Sorry, Bo. I was just trying to make you remember what it was like." She frowns, suddenly the worried kid I remember.

I let out a breath. "Come on," I say, grabbing her upper arm and bringing her to the squad car. I open the door and shut her the back.

Officer Lewis rolls down the window. "I saw two guys go in the house from the side. We should leave before this gets ugly." I nod and hurry to other side of the car. I move in to drive and peel away from the house.

The hour drive is mostly quiet. Tamsin asks a few questions and I let Officer Lewis answer them as I don't want to entice Tamsin to keep talking to me.

I pull onto the small gravel roadway to the family vacation home and breathe a sigh of relief. The troop van isn't here yet which means Officer Lewis and I will have to do a search. I park and look at her, she understands and shuts her door. I lock the doors with Tamsin inside and draw my gun, pointing to the ground.

Officer Lewis follows me, watching my back. We make our way to the house. I slip the key into the lock and hurry inside, gun up, ready for anything. I leave the door open and motion for Officer Lewis to look upstairs, cover more ground. I scope the house and find nothing. I wait for Officer Lewis to come back down before going back out to the car.

Tamsin is glaring at me through the window. When I let her out, she manages to land a fist to my jaw. "Bitch. You just leave me in the car? You go in there with some dumb bitch to back you up but you leave me alone. Never mind the fact that I could've been killed, but so could you. And you can't protect me if you're dead. You're supposed to be good at this." She just glares at me.

Her fist left a sharp pain in my jaw but I ignore it as I speak. "It's a bullet proof car and shatter resistant glass. Someone would have to try very hard for a very long time to break you out of it. And Officer Lewis is just as qualified as I am and I count on her to have my back. Now, we should get inside and wait for our troop to get here." We make our way into the house and Tamsin goes straight for the television. I sigh and sit on the stool by the dining room table. I can see her and can get to her quickly.

Officer Lewis moves to sit next to me. "How is your jaw?" She asks me, gently reaching out to move my head to the side so she can look at it. She gently presses along the bone to test for cracks or breaks in it.

"Suddenly a doctor now?" I ask, slightly teasing, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"That's what I was before I became a cop," she says, still testing my jaw. "You should be fine. It'll take a day or two for the bruise to go away. But the swelling will go down in an hour. If it doesn't, just say something." She lets my face go.

"I'll make sure to do that." I look at Tamsin before glancing back to her. "Thanks, Officer Lewis."

"Please, if we're going to be cooped up together for a while, call me Lauren." She smiles slightly.

"Then call me Bo." I grin at her and hear something outside. I stiffen. "Stay here. Hopefully that's the troop." I get up and make my way to the door. I glance through the window and see a car but it's not anyone we know. "It's an unknown car. Take her upstairs and guard her, I'm going to go out and investigate." I motion to Lauren and slip out the door.

I keep a hand on my gun as I walk out in clear sight. The door opens of the car and a man steps out, gun trained on me. "I'm here for the girl. Hand her over and nothing bad has to happen."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to just hand over a person. Especially not one I'm meant to protect."

"Then we'll go the hard way." He starts to aim for my heart. First mistake, he was trained on my shoulder. I whip out my gun and shoot him in the chest before he can fire. I miscalculate the muscle spasm of after death and the stray bullet clips my upper arm.

"Shit," I say. I gasp before sucking it up and moving to haul the man's body into the car. I shove him in the back seat and drive the car into the forest surrounding the house. I take the trek back slowly. I'm losing blood and I don't want to pass out from blood loss on my way back.

"Bo! What happened? I heard two gunshots." Lauren radios me.

I answer her back, "I'm fine. I got clipped and the man is dead. They were after Tamsin. I'll be back in a second. I'd rather discuss this in person. Our radios might not be safe." I release and I can see the house in view. Not wanting to spend much more time outside, but wanting to make sure the house is secure, I walk around the edge of the forest to make sure it's clear.

I finally enter the house and find myself dragged over to a chair by an anxious Lauren.

"Take your shirt off. I'd rather prefer to not cut your uniform. You can keep your holster on, I just need your top off." She moves away and disappears into a random room. I do as she says, carefully starting to remove my vest. Warm hands move to help me and I glance over at a worried looking Tamsin.

"Are you okay?" She asks, worry etching a line in her brow.

"I will be. It hurts, but I won't die. Even if I did, at least it was protecting you." I give her a small smile. She lifts the vest from my torso, relieving me from thirty pounds of equipment.

"Holy shit. I knew this stuff was heavy, but damn." She sets it on the table and starts to unbutton my shirt.

My hand on hers stops her. "Tamsin..." I warn her, I know my eyes must betray my worry.

"I'm not trying anything. I'm just helping you." She waits for my hands to fall from hers to keep unbuttoning my shirt. She tugs gently on my injured arm, trying avoid hurting me more.

Lauren walks back in with a medical bag. She sets it down and walks over to examine my arm. Gingerly prodding at it, she releases a soft breath. "Thank god you managed to dodge most of this. Based on the shape and trajectory angle, you'd be dead if you'd been standing a foot to the left." She grimaces and moves to grab hydrogen peroxide.

"He was dead when he shot me. I miscalculated the post-mortem spasm. Managed to move out of the way as he fell." I hiss as she presses gauze soaked in the peroxide against my wound. I lock my jaw and try not to make any more wounded sounds.

"Next time, don't reason, just shoot." She pulls the gauze from my arm. "I'm going to stitch this up. It's going to hurt but I don't want to risk numbing your arm. I can give you painkillers later, but this will hurt." She grabs a needle and thread.

"Bring it on," I say. When the needle pierces my skin, I fight back a whimper and grit my teeth against the pain. When she pulls the thread to create the first suture, I almost let out a pained noise but hold it back as my body floods with pain and heat. A few stitches later, she ties the medical grade plastic thread and grabs more gauze.

"You're tougher than I thought," Lauren says, giving me a small smile as she winds gauze around the cloth patch resting over my wound. She grabs a few ibuprofen from a bottle. "Take these. It'll help with the pain. Try not to move your arm more than necessary. How's your cheek?" She asks, suddenly worried again, doctor mode vanished.

"It feels fine," I say. She glances to my cheek.

"The swelling has gone down. That's good." She reaches out to touch my cheek gently. She brushes her fingers over my cheek and I stiffen. Realising what she's doing, she pulls away, quickly. "I better go get you some water for the pills." She gets up and walks to the kitchen. I can still feel the warmth of her fingers on my skin.

She comes back with the water, making sure to avoid touching me again when she hands it to me. "Thanks," I say and pop the pills, downing the water after them. She nods and I follow her gaze back to where Tamsin is back to watching tv. I sigh. She may be my age but she still acts like a teenager sometimes. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. Radio me if anything happens." Lauren nods to me as I slip my shirt and vest back on before I move to go to the bathroom.

When I come back out they're in the same exact place. I go over to sit next to Tamsin on the couch, careful of my arm. "Hey," I say to her.

She looks over at me and grins. "Hey." She sobers a little. "How's your arm?"

"It hurts, but I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I was doing my job. A grazed arm is better than a dead you." I shrug with my uninjured arm. "I'll be fine in a few days."

"As long as it isn't too bad." She smiles shyly as she runs her fingers down my arm closest to her, the uninjured one. Her fingers leave tingles on my skin and my mind transports me back to when I was with Tamsin many years ago.

"Not at all," I say, stiffening again. I turn away from her and get off the couch. I look at Lauren, emotions shut off. "I'm going to do another surveillance check. I'll be back in a little while." I move to the back door.

"Use the radio if there's trouble. We don't need more gunfire." She frowns slightly. I give her a small nod and exit the house.

I walk to the edge of the forest and start to move around the circle clearing where the house rests. I check both sides as I circle the house, gun drawn just in case. Shoot first, ask questions later. I circle the entire house and find nothing. It's starting to get dark which means there will be more later. Why aren't the troops here?

I enter the house again and find both Lauren and Tamsin gone from the living room. I radio Lauren. "I'm back, we're clear."

"Tamsin's taking a shower, I'm guarding the door upstairs." She pauses. "Over." I hear her chuckle before she disconnects. I grin and climb the stairs. The troop absence hits me again and I dial Dyson, easy way to get answers without bugging the chief.

"Bo? Why are you calling me? Did something happen to Tamsin?" He sounds panicked.

"No. Nothing happened. I did manage to get grazed by a bullet. But where are the troops they sent with us? They aren't here." I climb the last step and move towards the bedroom.

"They aren't? I saw them leave right after you. I'll talk to chief and have them send more to you. That's weird. And wait, you got shot?" He's surprised.

"A man arrived in a car and tried to get us to hand Tamsin over. I told him no way and I managed to kill him before he shot me dead in the heart but post-mortem spasm caused him to pull the trigger and the bullet grazed my left arm." I stop in the bedroom when I have sight of Lauren. She starts to open her mouth but stops when she notices me on the phone.

"Shit. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It hurts like hell, but Officer Lewis stitched me up." I smile at her. "So do you want me to call chief or do you have it?"

"I'll take care of it. I'll call you back as soon as I know. Give me less than two hours. I don't want you out there alone." He stops. "Stay safe, Bo. I know you're protecting my sister, but you're important to me too."

"I know, Dyson. Take care of yourself as well." I hang up and put my phone away.

"Dyson?" Lauren asks as soon as my phone is in my pocket.

"I called Detective Thornwood about the concerning lack of troops. I didn't want to call the chief directly so Detective Thornwood will take care of the issue." I realise I've gone into work mode and try to push it down. "I circled the house and there's no one around. It's getting dark so if they want us soon, tonight is the best time for them to do it. We have to be on high alert tonight. I'll stay in here with Tamsin. I do better in close quarters. And we already know I won't hesitate to throw myself in front of a bullet. With my injury, I'll be better in here than outside the door." I sit down on the bed gingerly, my eyes constantly searching the whole room.

"I agree. I'd say we both be in here, but there's only one door and one window. And the door won't be an issue if I'm outside it. You take the window in here." She moves away from the door as Tamsin opens it, coming out in only underwear and a tank top. She gives me a grin and makes her way to sit on her bed. "Alright. I'm moving to guard the door. See you in the morning or if something exciting happens." She exits the room, leaving me alone with Tamsin. I should've thought this through. My brain told me this is the best tactic but it could end badly.

"So... We have all night alone together." Tamsin gives me a knowing look. I send her a stern gaze and move to the window, peering out into the darkness. I pull my gun from my holster and hold on to it as I move to sit on the window ledge. "Come on, Bo. This is going to be a long night if you won't even talk to me. I don't know if you hate me, but I don't want you to. I just care about you."

"Tamsin." I let out a harsh breath. "Now is definitely a bad time to be talking about emotions and feelings. I'm trying to make sure no one kills you. I can afford to be emotionally distracted right now."

She starts to open her mouth when my phone goes off. I pull it out and answer it, relieved by Dyson's name on caller ID.

"So what'd you find out?" I ask, unable to keep to formalities.

"Hello to you, too." He's amused by my outburst.

"Sorry, Dyson. Did you talk to the chief?"

"Yes, I did. He says that apparently the troop was ambushed and never made it." His tone is grave.

"Shit. That's terrible. Yet no one thought to tell me?" I frown.

"No one knew until I mentioned that you called me about it. Chief was pissed, by the way. He told me to tell you to go to him next time. They're sending another group out in the morning."

"Thank god. I think Officer Lewis and I have tonight covered, but tomorrow night is a different question. They we're here, especially since the man I killed would never have reported back."

"Be safe." He pauses. "Is Tamsin there? Can I talk to her?"

"One second." I pull the phone from my ear. "Tamsin, your brother wants to talk to you." She grimaces at me and shakes her head. "She just gave me a disgusted look and shook her head. I don't think she wants to talk to you."

"Fine." Dyson sounds only mildly upset. "Call me as soon as your troops get there." He hangs up. I frown and put away my phone.

"So, my brother's a dick." Tamsin grimaces and moves on the bed, moving to the edge to watch me.

"Well, he's helping so I'm not complaining." I adjust my grip on my gun, I glance out the window. I see movement and stiffen. I can't tell if it's human or animal or simply an illusion, but I decide safety is the best option. Not risking the potential opportunity of leaving Tamsin unprotected, I radio Lauren. "Lewis," I say. "I can't see much, but I thought I saw movement outside. Be on the lookout." More movement shows outside. Shit.

"Over," she responds and disconnects. Right about now I wish we had earpieces. Maybe I can ask for those to be sent with the troops tomorrow. I get up from my sitting position and stand up, gun held firmly in my hands.

"Tamsin, get in the closet. Don't argue, just do it." She just nods and does what I ask. I move to the door. "Lauren. Get in here. We're swapping. She's in the closet right now." She opens the door and closes it after herself.

"Bo. Stop throwing yourself into the line of fire. I know it's your job and you care about Tamsin, but you'll get yourself killed and then you just pointlessly threw your life away to a situation we could've handled together." Lauren frowns heavily at me.

"Lauren." I sigh. "Don't. I'm going out there and shooting some bastards. I'll be back soon. Watch Tamsin." I rest my hand briefly on Lauren's shoulder. Her hand comes up to lay on top of mine.

"Don't get dead." She gives me a small smile before I pull away and exit the bedroom. I move down the hallway and to the front door. I glance through the window to find two cars in the driveway and guns aimed at the house. Shit.

Braving it, I throw open the door and walk out. "How about we do this the easy way? You put away your guns and leave us alone. No one gets hurt." Their guns immediately train on me.

"There is no easy way, Bo Dennis." A familiar voice sounds from the distance. I stiffen in response.

"Fitzpatrick McCorrigan?"

"Hello, granddaughter. Fancy meeting you here." He steps into the light so I can see him. He may be a tiny man, but he possesses the power of a giant.

"What do you want?" I ask, scowling at him.

"Ms. Thornwood. If you'd kindly hand her over to me, we can all go home happy." He gives me a grin.

"Fuck you. I'm tired of you trying to take my friend. I'm not giving her up to anyone. Especially not someone as evil as my grandfather. Try again." I glare at him, giving him a challenging glare. "I take the hard way."

He doesn't speak and I don't notice the gun rising until the bullet pierces my right shoulder. The gun in my hand drops to the ground as I sink to my knees, pain exploding in my arm. "The hard way it is. I will hurt you until the other cops comes out to save you and Ms. Thornwood is left alone inside." The guy who shot me cocks his gun again. I brace for the next bullet but it never comes.

A truck speeds down the driveway, our troops pulling out and rushing the men. Trick manages to get away with two of his men, but the rest are slaughtered by our guys.

"Officer Dennis, are you hurt?" One man asks.

"I got shot, I'll be fine." I ease to my feet and take shaky steps back inside. Once inside the troops instantly go up to Tamsin's bedroom and soon Lauren is running downstairs to come to my rescue.

"Goddammit, Bo. You're going to get yourself killed. Stop letting people shoot you." She helps me over to the kitchen stool where she patched me up last time. She helps get my vest off which doesn't cover my shoulder to stop a bullet from entering where it did. The tugs at my shirt, carefully watching my arm to make sure it doesn't snag or cause more pain to my arm. Hard to imagine more pain than to what I'm feeling.

"Have you ever been shot full on before?" Lauren asks, hurriedly digging into her bag.

"Yeah. Not in the shoulder. I've been hit in the leg before. That hurts like shit. This hurts like hell." I groan in pain. Sweat is starting to head on my forehead. Lauren moves around me to check if the bullet went through or got lodged in my body.

"Good news. It was a clean shot. We don't have to dig around for the bullet." Lauren moves back to her medical bag. "Next time, don't walk back, you lost a lot of blood." She frowns as she places thick bandages on the front and back of my shoulder. She stands there, pressing tight against my skin. "I wish I could bring you to a hospital. I had imagined you being shot in the heart and dying immediately. I didn't picture having to dress two bullet wounds because you were being an idiot. Still, you're heroic. But stupid." She gives me a small smile. I attempt a smile through the pain but it turns into a grimace. "You're sweating," she observes. "Someone turn on the air. We need to regulate her temperature," Lauren yells into the house. Someone responds and the air kicks in.

I can feel myself getting faint. "Shit." I try to force myself to stay awake but I can feel myself slipping. "Lauren. I'm going to pass out."

"No, no, no. Don't. You have to stay awake. You've lost a lot of blood. Come on. Bo, stay awake." Lauren's face is full of concern as my vision starts to dim black. "Bo. No. Goddammit, Bo." She helps me stay upright. "Someone help me put her on the table." The last thing I see are Lauren's worried eyes on mine before my grip on reality crumbles.

I wake to find my right arm bandaged and my body wracked with pain. My eyes open slowly, taking in my surroundings. I'm lying on a bed, two guards in the room, standing still, waiting for an attack at any moment.

"Bo. Thank god you're awake." I move my head to find Tamsin watching me. "When Officer Lewis and another guard carried you up here with you looking dead, I worried. I'm glad you're still alive. Officer Lewis was up all night stitching you back together. She was really upset." Tamsin frowns. "She kept kicking me out when I tried coming in to see how you were doing." She pouts.

"Where is she now?" I ask, blaming my curiosity on the need to thank her for not letting me die because of my stupidity.

"Downstairs. I'll trade places with her." Tamsin leaves after placing a kiss on my cheek. A few moments later, Lauren bursts into the room. She tells the two guards to watch Tamsin and they leave.

"How are you feeling, Bo?" She frowns. I can tell she's exhausted. Dark bags have formed under her eyes and her demeanour is defeated.

"Well, I'm not dead. Thank you for that." I manage a grin. "In all seriousness, that was stupid of me. Thanks for not letting me die."

She smiles slightly. "You're welcome. We're supposed to watch out for each other. Protect Tamsin and help each other. Good news is the troops are here. Thirty of them this time. If they hadn't been here you'd be dead."

"I know. But Trick and a few men got away which means this is far from over. Stupid bastard." I grimace.

"We'll take it one step at a time. I'm glad my makeshift surgery worked out well. You might not be alive had I not been here." A real sadness settles in her eyes.

"Thank you." I gingerly move my less injured arm to rest my hand on top of the one resting on the edge of my bed. She looks surprised, but she rotates her hand under mine to lace our fingers together.

"Always. Get some more sleep. You lost a lot of blood." She gives me a small but genuine smile. She doesn't pull her hand from mine and I happily oblige her orders.

I wake up to find my hand still grasped by Lauren's hand. She's passed out in a chair next to my bed. She looks younger and less stressed when asleep. She's beautiful when she's not worried constantly.

My thoughts are like the electric chair to reality. Thoughts sink in. I got shot, Lauren saved me. I'm stupid. I sigh and flop my head against the pillow. When the sound echoes in my ears and head, I groan. Bad idea.

Lauren is roused by my pathetic failure at being human. She extracts her hand from mine to rub at her face. She blinks down at my frustrated state and a smile breaks out on her face. An amused gaze directed at me.

"You lost blood. You're going to be dizzy for a while." She grins widely at me. I only glare at her as another wave of pain rolls through my body.

"Just get me up and into a normal routine. Which means a shower." I cast a longing glance at the bathroom door, suddenly feeling all the dirt, grime, and blood coating my body.

"Can you sit?" Lauren asks. The once simple task takes several attempts to achieve. "I'd rather you take a bath so you don't pass out from standing up."

"A bath while I'm this dirty sounds absolutely repulsive. I'll be fine." I move to get out of bed and she helps me.

"We'll get you some water and food in your system and you should feel better in a few hours." She supports me as I stand up. It's not too bad. Her arm wraps around my waist to help me get to the bathroom. "I don't want your bandages wet. Please, Bo. Just take a bath."

I grimace at her but nod my head. She helps me out of my clothes. When I'm naked she steps away and I watch her eyes scan down my body before she covers it up with a cough and a move towards the bath to turn it on, starting the water.

"Avoid getting your bandages soaked. Come find me when you're done and dressed." She's become stiff again and she walks away like a soldier. I frown and step in, moaning at the feeling of the warm water. I sink into it and relax.

"Do you want help?" I look over to find Tamsin at the door. I just give her a look. "Officer Lewis sent me in here saying you needed help or you'd stress your body too much." She shrugs.

"I don't-" I move my arm to give her a sign to go away but groan when sharp pain runs up my arm. I let my arm fall and visibly defeat.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to," she says, awkwardly. She's still standing just inside the door.

"Come in. You're letting in a draft." She steps in farther and closes the door. After a moment she comes to rest at the edge of the tub. She seems to shake herself before she grabs the soap and washcloth. She spreads the soap on the cloth and starts with my arms. When they're done, she moves to my upper chest. When she has to move down, I clench my fists as old desire runs through me as she slowly cleans my chest and breasts of their grime and blood.

She moves down to my stomach. She does my legs before coming to halt, realising there's only one part left and I'm in no condition to do it. We both have to control ourselves as she moves to wash the area. I let out an involuntary moan at the pleasure of the cloth rubbing against my clit. I can see Tamsin stop cold at my noise. I breathe slowly as I wait to what she's going to do.

"Bo..." Her voice sounds unsteady, hiding lust and desire. She doesn't look at me, hand still poised over my sex.

"No, Tamsin. It can't happen." I'm dismayed at the truth but I'm still following the rules.

"Promise me one thing. You give me one chance when this over." Now she looks at me. Heartbreak is obvious in her eyes.

"I promise. Now I need to get out and dry off." I give her a small smile. She snaps into business mode and helps me out, drying me quickly and efficiently with no problems. "Thank you," I say to her, now dressed in pants and a tank top to let my bandages breathe.

"Anytime." She leans in and kisses me softly. I kiss her back. She steps in closer and I don't stop her. She starts to deepen the kiss.

"Okay, okay. Step away from the bait." Lauren sounds ticked off. I push Tamsin away and gasp at the pain lacing up my arm.

"Shit." I breathe roughly for a second. I give Lauren a glare.

"Sorry. I just need to speak to Bo. Alone." She walks over and pushes me in front of her, into the next room over. "What the hell are you thinking? Bo, seriously. Romancing who we're protecting. Did you not hear any of your own damn speeches.

"I'm not romancing her. We used to date. Granted it was a few years ago but the desire and attraction is still there. We've been fighting it since we picked her up. She made me promise to give her another shot after this."

"After this. Sure seems like you're waiting," Lauren says, a firm frown in place.

"I hadn't planned on that. Plus, you sent her up here, had you stayed this wouldn't have happened." I grimace. "It won't happen again. She caught me off guard."

"Look, I get you used to have a thing with her, but our job right now is to protect her. We need to stay emotionally separate from her. I think we need to rotate someone else into her room tonight. That way you aren't in an awkward situation. We still have a few hours until then, so we find who will be the best to put in there." Lauren's gaze softens but becomes professional.

"Good idea. I'm sorry." I frown at her, suddenly regretting the last twenty four hours.

"What for?" She asks, confused. Her eyebrows draw together and cause a furrow in her brow. It's cute.

"Everything. Specifically my stupidness. I've managed to get shot twice and you spent last night stitching me up. And I've been rude. I'm sorry." I glance at the ground. "I realise me dead isn't helping Tamsin live. It's going to get her killed faster."

"Bo." Lauren lays a hand on my shoulder, prompting me to look up at her. "Don't be sorry." She squeezes my shoulder. "You were doing what you thought was right. Never regret anything because it was what you wanted at the time." She gives me a small smile. "Let's figure out tonight." She leaves the room and I follow her.

A few hours later, I'm standing by the door to Tamsin's room, Lauren on the other end of the door. Nothing has happened yet and I'm extremely relieved. My shoulder will be moveable in the morning. It'll still be hurt but over a day of healing will allow me to move it with limited range.

"So..." I let my voice trail off. "You know some of my love life. What about you?" I stare into the darkness.

"Well, the last girlfriend I had was five years ago and she slipped into a coma and died from some sort of sickness." Lauren's reply is sad and quiet. I'm suddenly sorry for asking.

"I shouldn't have asked. That's harsh." I grimace.

"Yeah. So you and Tamsin dated, what else?"

"We dated so long ago. I was eighteen and she was sixteen. Just barely legal. I'm thirty six now. We only lasted about two years and then Dyson got mad I was dating his sister and slept with my mom. My mom ran away pretty soon after that. Since Tamsin I haven't really been able to settle down. One person to the next. I'd love to settle down but I can't find the right person." My mind travels a little bit as I talk.

"Ah. What would be the right person?" Lauren asks.

"I don't know. Someone who knows my job well enough to realise I could die any moment and wouldn't hesitate to take over life if that did happen. Someone who will reprimand me for doing stupid shit but won't kick me out. Someone will worry over me just enough that it doesn't become obsession but love. Someone who will really understand who I am and love me for who I am and not what I look like. I know lots of people look at me and see boobs and an ass. Sure, I like people appreciating them, but I don't want that to be the only thing people see. I want someone who likes me for me." I let out a small chuckle. "Now I'm going sappy. I'm not ever like this." Lauren is quiet.

"You okay?" I ask. I move to place a gentle hand on her shoulder but somehow end up in a kiss. Lauren's mouth moves against mine, trying to portray all of her emotions in one kiss. I kiss her back for a moment, appreciating her soft mouth on mine before I pull away. "Shit." I back away slowly. "Lauren..."

"Sorry, Bo. I didn't-" She stops herself. "I'm sorry."

"Just, don't do that again. I stressed how important it was to not have relationships between us as security. We just endangered Tamsin. I don't want you getting the wrong idea, I do like you, but we can't do anything until this whole thing blows over." I sigh and twirl my gun in with the hand of my less injured arm. "God knows I'd love to do that again, but I can't. Not until this is over. Then, we can try. But until then, this can't happen."

"I understand." She stiffens and looks out into the nothingness and darkness in front of us. That's the end of the conversation.

"Bo." I tilt my head to glance up from my book at Tamsin. She looks excited, a barely hidden grin on her face.

"Yes?" I prompt her, amused. It's been a month since we moved out to hide. I have healed almost completely and we have been attacked every few nights, but never much. I can't help but think they're gearing up for something major.

"Can we go for a run around the forest? I'm getting antsy and we haven't run for a few days." She gives a little hop.

"Go with Officer Lewis." I give her a grin despite my rejection. I relax more comfortably in the chair.

"I am. I wanted to know if you'd come, too." She frowns.

"I would, but I prefer to sit here and read." I give her a small smile.

"Fine," she says, huffing in frustration. I stare after her amusedly before going back to reading my book. A few moments later, I sense a presence behind me and I stiffen.

"We'll be back in twenty minutes." It's Lauren. I say nothing, I don't even acknowledge she said anything. She hesitates a moment before storming off. My phone goes off on the table in front of me. I grab it, setting my book down and notice it's an unknown number. I answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Bo." It's Trick. Shit.

"What do you want?" I ask, pulling the phone from my ear, hitting speaker and sending a text to Lauren to tell her to cancel the run just in case.

"Just to talk, of course. And negotiate."

"Uh huh. Lemme tell you how this conversation will go. You say you want Tamsin and I say you can't have her. You tell me you'll get her the easy way or the hard way and I tell you over my dead body. So here's how this is gonna work. You and your stupid corporation leaves us alone and no one else has to die. Problem solved, world peace created." I watch as Lauren enters the room with a concerned glance, she starts to open her mouth but I shake my head.

"See, I don't like the ending to that. I think I'd rather prefer if we got Ms. Thornwood in our possession before world peace begins. So, tomorrow evening I'm sending what's left of my troops. If you somehow manage to kill them all, I will drop this and leave alone. This gives you twenty four hours to say goodbye and get prepared. It's my turn. Goodbye, granddaughter." He hangs up the phone. I can feel myself physically sag and I set down my phone. It won't be long until I stiffen up, but right now I'm way too tired to do anything.

"Bo?" I glance up to find Lauren standing hesitantly by the doorway. "Do you want to talk about this?" She gives me a sympathetic glance.

I shake my head. "No. But I need to." I sigh in frustration. Lauren walks over and hesitantly sits next to me. I don't know what comes over me, but I reach out and hug her to me, tightly. I refuse to break down and cry, but holding someone close makes me feel so much better.

"It's okay, Bo. We still have time." Her hand rubs up and down my back. "He said twenty four hours."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they show up tonight." I pull away from her just enough to look her in the eyes. "I don't want to waste these last few hours that we might have. I don't want to waste them crying or screaming or whatever. I want to spend them with people I care about. Or the person I care about." I raise my hand to cup Lauren's cheek. "Spend the time with you." I don't lean in to kiss her. Instead, I wait for her to make the move. She does after she realises I'm not making the move.

Her lips press to mine and a calmness settles over me. I kiss her back, relaxing into the arms that wrap around me. I rest my hands gently on her hips and she starts to press me back into the couch. An unexpected moan rises from my throat. I grimace but Lauren only chuckles against my lips.

"God. I needed this," I say and Lauren kisses me deeper. My hands finally rise to entwine behind her head, pulling her lips harder against mine. Lauren carefully adjusts herself against my body, her leg resting between mine and mine between hers. The fact we're on living room couch barely registers as I kiss her with everything I've been hold back for the last month.

"What the hell?" An angry voice asks. Lauren springs away from me in shock and retreats to the other side of the couch. I pull myself into a sitting position and Tamsin glares. "May I not even mention the fact you made the rule of no fraternising yourself or that you turned me down for that exact reason. Yet now I find you about to have sex with your co-commanding officer? Low blow, Dennis. You still owe me that chance." She glares at me and Lauren a moment more before stalking off. "Also, if this is the reason you wouldn't let me run, I'm not going to be a happy camper," she says as she storms away.

"Shit." I huff in embarrassment and hide my face in my palms. "I'm sorry." I peek up at Lauren.

"It's okay." She relaxes slightly from her position on the couch. I grimace and hide my face back in my hands. "Bo. There's nothing to be sorry about. I wanted that. I don't want you getting the wrong idea. I was completely ready for anything that would've happened in that moment." I look up at her hesitantly and she gives a frustrated sigh. "I like you. A lot, Bo. If I didn't think I'd be insane for doing it, I'd think I might even love you. Be in love with you. Bo, you are amazing. Yes, you're reckless, but you do your job so willingly and you're so dedicated you're willing to throw your life away for anyone. That is an incredible thing and I feel proud and blessed to even know you." She gives me a small smile. "I don't what it means, but I do want to be with you. Where we don't need to hide. I'm going all out right now. Nothing left to hide."

A sudden thought strikes through me. "That's it." Why didn't I think of this earlier?

"What's it?" She looks concerned and slightly hurt.

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I really like you back." For emphasis I place a gentle kiss to her lips. "But I figured out what I need to do tonight. Promise me you will protect Tamsin to the end of time no matter how stupid my plan, you'll keep going even if I do die."

"What are you saying Bo?" She frowns at me with deep concern putting a line between her brows.

"Trick said he was sending the rest of his troops here, right?" She nods. "That means no one will be with him."

Dawning shows on her face. "You're going to go and kill him."

"Yes. It's stupid, but it might just work. But me living means you'll be minus a good fighter so I need to make sure you're 100% dedicated to protecting her and that means getting both of you out alive because without me there, you need to be with her 24/7."

"You say that like you won't come back alive." She reaches forward and grabs my hand in hers, twining our fingers.

"I might not. I will try my hardest to come back, but I'm not going to come back until he's dead. His death means our safety. You know I will sacrifice anything to keep Tamsin safe. And I will make sure to keep you safe as well. I think I know where Trick is hiding out, I'm leaving early in the morning so I get a head start on him and I can camp out until I'm sure every single person is gone from the building."

"Are you sure you aren't walking into a trap?" Her frown deepens.

"No. But I'm damned going to try to end this. But I would like to spend my last night with you." I give her a small smile.

"Stop talking like you aren't coming back alive. You will come back, I know it." She leans forward again, this time placing a kiss to my lips. I kiss her back for a while before pulling back.

"Let's tell some troops to watch Tamsin while we go spend time together," I say, stand up from the couch and holding my hand out to her. She takes my offered hand and gets up, keeping her hand in mine.

I find the nearest guard and tell him to have five guards on her at all times. He salutes me half sarcastically and it slap him playfully. I lead Lauren back to an empty bedroom. She leans forward the minute the door closes but I push her back, shaking my head.

"I don't want to do that yet. I'd like to spend some time actually getting to know you. Have a deeper connection, have it mean more later." I grimace. "Of course, that also means it'll hurt more when I don't come back, but at least now it'll mean something."

"Bo..." She gives me the saddest look I've ever seen on anyone's face. And I've seen plenty of sad people. "You aren't going to die. You're going to come back." She's almost in tears. "You're not going to die." I can tell she's mostly trying to make herself believe it.

"I can't guarantee anything, Lauren. I will try to come back, but if I don't, keep Tamsin safe." I give her a weak, but encouraging smile.

"I'll watch after Tamsin, but I'm not going to lie, living without you will be hard. Sixty more years without you will be hard. Granted I live till ninety-six." She frowns at me.

I give her an amused grin. "As long you live. And if I don't come back, promise me you won't do something stupid like come after me. I can guarantee, if I don't come back, I'm dead. Or as good as dead." I lean in to kiss her. "But let's stop thinking about the worse case scenario. What's your favourite colour?"

She relaxes and grins. "Yellow."

I glance over at Lauren's naked sleeping form next to me in the bed. A small smile graces my lips and I lean over to place a soft kiss on the exposed bare skin of her shoulder.

I slip out of bed and start getting ready for the battle I'm going to be rushing into. I make sure to don my bullet proof vest as I get dressed. I holster my gun and slip the other into my outer vest. I make sure to have extra ammo.

I go down the stairs and avoid every guard. Knowing their exact positions, I manage to avoid them all and escape easily. I find the car I stashed in the forest a while ago. It still has an almost full tank of gas and still works. I peel away from the house, greenery and woods blurring past me as I hurry to Trick's hideout.

I make sure to go only ten over the speed limit through the twisty and windy forest roads. Once I hit the freeway, I have to slow. I easily find my way to Trick's parking a block away. I grab binoculars and begin the wait.

When I'm sure all of the guards have left, I steel my nerves and pull a ballsy move and walk straight through the front door. The front desk secretary works hard at looking nonplussed.

"Miss Dennis. Mr. McCorrigan is not expecting you. In fact, he's in the middle of a meeting right now." She glances around for guards and I notice the frantic look in her eyes.

"Well I'm about to adjourn the meeting. What floor and room are they in?" I ask her, stone faced.

"Floor ten and room number twelve-sixty-four." I can tell she's completely honest based on the openly frightened gaze.

"Good." I pause. "Elevator key." I hold out a hand. She hurriedly hands one over. I nod to her and take it, walking to the elevator and selecting the floor I want. The woman watches me as the doors close. I draw my guns, wielding in both hands. I know there will be guards the moment the doors open.

My assumption is correct and I'm met with two guards. The one moment of them staring shockingly at two guns pointed at them is enough for me to pop two bullets into each of them. They slump to the ground. The gunshots were exactly what I was counting on, now he knows I'm here.

I walk down the hallway, guns pointed downs. I find the room she pointed me to. I kick in the door and find Trick standing at the head of a table with many other head's of large corporations. If I was a mercenary, I could make a billion dollars for getting a bullet in the lowest corporation's lead's head.

"Bo." Trick greets me with a grim expression, his own gun trained on me. All twelve men at the table raise guns to me as well. Shit.

"Grandfather." I smile menacingly. "Good to see you again. Still alive and healthy."

"Good to see you regained use of your shoulder." He grins more genuinely at me.

"Yep. The good doctor bandaged me all up. Wonder if she'd do the same for you if I shot you in the heart. By the time I got you to her, you'd be dead, though. Maybe she'll pitch in for the coffin. Polished dark oak. At least that's what I think. Or maybe black marble. A reflection of your soul, dark and cold." My cockiness has come out. I'm scared but I'm not going down without a fight or without humour.

"Ah, that's the Bo I know." All of the sudden there are guards flanking me. They grab my arms and two more grab the guns from my hands. I struggle against them, but they're like steel and I can't budge. "I'm sorry, Bo. But I can't be taken down so easily. I'm betting your friends are being swarmed with the rest of my guards right now. You'll probably never see your old lover again. Tamsin is beautiful, but she needs to be exterminated. She holds valuable information that cannot be exposed." He gives me a sad smile before addressing the guards. "Put her in a cell. I'll be down in ten minutes." The guards haul me off. "I'll explain all of this later," he calls after me.

I've been in the cell for about an hour now and still nothing from Trick. He said ten minutes. The asshole. I should've known he had given up the information about all the guards being gone way too easily.

The door opens to reveal Trick, finally. He closes the door after himself and walks over look at me through the bars.

"Bo. I'm sorry it had to be this way. I know you probably won't listen to me but I'm going to try to explain this the best I can. Tell you why I need Tamsin and why I've been fighting the law and such for as long as you've known me." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "I didn't kill your mother Bo. I know that what you were told by the government, but that isn't true. I tried to save your mother." I cast a dubious look at him. "I'm serious. Your mother got into a bad situation and the government was after her. I wouldn't let them take her which is why I lashed out. I was only able to stall enough for you to be born. When they came to take her, I fought and fought but I couldn't do much as a bar owner.

"Once she was taken away, I began to climb the ranks of anti-government corporations. Still, the Feds wouldn't let your mother go, ultimately sentencing her to death. I won't let that happen to any other family, including you." He looks saddened.

"What do you mean me?" I won't lie, it makes a ton of sense, but I'm still skeptical.

"You think you work for the Toronto police, but I can guarantee they're just using you. And especially now that you've been basically kidnapped by me, they will abuse you. Wasn't it too easy that they accepted you into the academy? And hired you right out of the academy. They knew you were valuable, abilities aside." He frowns and I sense my own growing of fear towards what I've been working for basically all my life. "They're going to come after you the moment you walk out of here and we can't let that happen."

"Wait. You aren't killing me, are you?" I start to panic. The idea of going out with a bang was great before, but this is petty and not a fight. I don't want to go this way.

"Minotaur's balls, no. I'm offering you a job. Well, a place in my corporation. You'll take your place as my granddaughter. You'll have a sizeable allowance and inherit all of this. All I ask is that you no longer work for the damn government. Also, no ties with the people you associated with before. And last thing, I need you to fetch Tamsin. We won't kill her, we just need to free her from your partner's grasp."

"Free her? She works for you?" I ask, myself now nonplussed.

"Yes."

"Does Dyson know?" I ask.

"I don't believe so, no."

"That's risky." I pause for a moment and Trick takes the pause as hesitation.

"I'll give you time to consider my offer. Let me know in the next few hours. In the mean time, I'll have guards waiting so I will be notified the moment you decide." He starts to move away.

"Wait. Just give me five minutes." I hold out a hand. He nods and waits. I consider his offer. Money, fame, Tamsin. No one controlling me is a plus. But Lauren. I'll lose Lauren. I don't want to lose her, but it's not like she's my soul mate. She's great and really nice, but Tamsin was that, too. And there are always other people working for McCorrigan Corporation. My mind made up, I glance at him, a grin on my face. "I accept."

A genuine smile spreads across his lips, the twinkle in his eye showing for the first time in a long time. "I welcome you, Bo McCorrigan."

A few hours later, I'm getting ready to go back to the house and retrieve Tamsin. I've got my police uniform back on and my hair whipped up into a ponytail. I still have blood splattered on me from the two guards I killed so appearance isn't a problem. Trick sees me before I leave.

"Bo. Get Tamsin carefully. And don't let anyone stop you. You're a McCorrigan now, you get what you want when you want it. Come back safe, I do care about you." He graces me with a smile and lays a gentle hand on my arm. "Be careful." He retracts his hand and walks away.

"Thanks, old man," I call after him. A snort of laughter comes as a reply. I grin and exit the building. I find my car and start the journey back to the house. I make sure to call Lauren as I take off. She picks up second ring.

"Bo?!" She sounds entirely too tired but relieved.

"Hey. I'm on my way back to you now. Is everyone okay?" I turn on to the freeway.

"Yeah. The guards seemed more focused on us than Tamsin. Almost like they don't want her dead." She sounds puzzled.

"They don't. She's got valuable information and they want her alive for some grand plan I didn't catch because he would spill." Technicalities.

"Ah. Are you okay?" She asks, concern lacing her voice.

"Yes and no. I'm alive, but I did just kill my grandfather." I spot the road ahead and I turn on to it. "I'm letting you go. Head outside, I'll be there in a few seconds." I hang up and continue down the road.

When I stop in front if the house, Lauren is already outside. She's clean, her hair still damp from her shower. She's still wearing her uniform, but her weapons other than her gun isn't present.

I step out of the car and am met with a hundred pounds of solid and warm Lauren in my arms. Melting, I relax into her warm embrace. I'm going to miss this. She pulls away to kiss me. Definitely going to miss this.

"Thank god you're okay, Bo." She squeezes me tightly.

"I'm glad I'm okay. Although, I just got you all bloody again." I notice a few smears on her arms.

"I don't care as long as it's not your blood." She pays no mind to the blood, not even looking.

"Not mine. For once, I wasn't hurt. Bruised slightly by massive guards, but that's all." I give her a small smile and am knocked off balance as Tamsin launches herself at me. We crash to the ground and I burst out laughing.

"Hey Bo. Welcome back." She kisses my cheek. I hug her to me and take the opportunity to whisper in her ear.

"I'm here to take you back to Trick."

She stiffens and then relaxes. "Figures you'd go to the dark side. How do you plan to get us back? Shopping trip?"

"Sure." I grunt as Tamsin launches herself off me. I stand up and give Lauren a bashful glance. She only rolls her eyes.

"Lauren, can Bo and I go shopping? Please?" Tamsin hops up and down.

"Sure," she says and draws her gun to point it at me. "But not if you're running straight back to McCorrigan Corporation."

I stare at her and a grin breaks out on my face. It isn't a pleasant one. "Figured it out fast."

"It was easy," she shrugs. "Tamsin isn't harmed. You get back with no injuries. The blood is probably from some random guards. The moment you get back, Tamsin wants to go 'shopping'." She sighs. "The question is, whether you were a McCorrigan before or after last night."

"After. Just a few hours ago. He's family and his story makes sense. A hell of a lot more than the damn government's. I'm sorry Lauren. I care for you and last night meant a lot, but you're government and I'm McCorrigan. Even if I wanted it to happen, it won't." I frown. I feel an arm snake around my waist and I glance over to see Tamsin watching Lauren with a feral glance.

"Bo has me now. Or should I say, 'again'." She grins. Her body isn't as warm as Lauren's but it's company and another human being.

Lauren holds back a grimace, lips tight in control. "Great. I'm so happy for you two. I should just kill you now."

"So why haven't you?" Tamsin taunts Lauren and I frown at her.

"Lauren, you don't understand. The government is a big lie. They're scheming assholes." I give her a sympathetic glance.

"You don't think I know that? The McCorrigan's are worse. At least I know what I've gotten into." She place her hand on her hip, gun still trained on my chest.

"Then learn who we are. McCorrigan's aren't bad. We're trying to protect. You have to believe me, Lauren." How much she means to me finally settles in me. "Please don't Lauren. Just give us a chance. For me."

She lets out a humourless chuckle. "You say that as another woman is wrapped around you. And no, I'm staying where I am."

I pull away from Tamsin and take two steps towards Lauren. She doesn't move but her eyes narrow. "Lauren. I'm still me, I haven't changed, I just realised the truth."

"Don't move." Her voice is hard as she cocks her gun. "I don't care who you are or aren't. You still aren't the woman I met a month ago. Who hated the McCorrigan's with a burning passion, who wouldn't give up a woman for anything. But now, you've betrayed us all. All over some stupid truth."

"It was my mother, Lauren. The government killed my mother and Trick tried to save her, but it was too late and they took her right after I was born."

"It doesn't matter." She glares at me.

"My mother doesn't matter?" I stare at her, surprised and offended.

She looks flustered. "She does... It's just-"

"Who's the bad person now?" Tamsin speaks up. "'Hey, I know we fucked but your mother was a bitch and doesn't matter.'" She glares at Lauren. "That's what you just said."

Lauren sends her a hateful glare. "It's nothing like that that. And I never said that. I can't let you take Tamsin. I promised the right Bo that I'd keep her safe and not give her to McCorrigan Corporation."


End file.
